Sunday, July 11, 2010

True blue Capri sandals
Peter, Jojo, Alice & Joe lining up
Gerard & Thom posing
Isa and Nutsie of San Francisco loving
The freshest of seafood antipasto
The steep walkways of Anacapri
Villa Rufalo: Ravello
signs
The sights along the Amalfi Coast
Anacapri: Villa San Michele
Capri: Le Grotelle
Capri: on the path of Le Grotelle, my favorite restaurant there
Capri. The prices are astronomical! But I was able to score a pair of classic Caprese sandals from the very same store that Jackie O did 30 years ago.
The Villa Malaparte, Capri.
My second visit in 7 years and still the owners - rumored to be the Chinese government for Malaparte was a staunch communist - do no allow any visitors. Crucial scenes in Godard's "Contempt" with Brigitte Bardot were filmed here. I must get in there somehow....
Dining alfresco at the Villa Meridiana

The Villa Meridiana, Amalfi
The road to Amalfi
Joe
The church square in Amalfi
View from the dining terrace of the Villa Meridiana

The road to Positano
Cocktails on the town square of Amalfi
The village square of Ravello at night...looks like theatre set.
Th infinity terrace of the Villa Cimbrone, Ravello
Alan and Marcelo arriving
Cocktails on the terrace of Hotel le Sireneuse, Positano.
Positano: Hotel Il San Pietro.
The vibe is very James Bond villain's lair. Splurged and spent 2 nights here.

Positano
A windy wedding in Amalfi
The Villa Cimbrone in Ravello, Garbo's favorite hideaway. Probably one of several in the world.
The village of Amalfi, a 10 minute walk away.
A typical bedroom
A 150 steps down to our personal swimming hole, the Mediterranean Sea....
The somewhat spartan furnishings of the Villa. But it did not matter. The views and setting were glorious.

Eat, drink, laugh way into the wee hours...neighbors threatened to call the Italian police which some of my single guests encouraged. "We'll get cute dates"!

Villa Meridiana, Amalfi, Italy: October 2005
I rented this Villa for a week to celebrate a birthday and invited some close - and fun-loving - pals. The views, the food, the architecture...! 4 hours south of Rome on narrow cliff-hugging and white-knuckle turns.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Hello out there! I have just joined the blogger universe. My ever stylish and energetic sister in law Daphne Osena Paez has inspired me. Check her out: http://daphneosena.livejournal.com/
My other inspirations are The Sartorialist, Bill Cunningham of the NY Times, the editors of Conde Nast Traveller, Travel & Leisure magazine & the editors of Elle Decor, all Olympians at what they do. Travel and style blogs are probably a dime a dozen these days but I hope to bring something fresh, something missed, something else. C'est impossible! But here we go....